Zootopia: Night Mystery
by Bluewolfbat
Summary: Months after the Missing Mammals case, Judy and Nick are partners and life in Zootopia is good. But when they suddenly have a case that is just as big a mystery as their suspect, Judy and Nick will try to solve the case no matter how batty it is. Will Judy and Nick be successful, or will they be left in the dark? Read and find out.
1. Judy's Crazy Night

Chapter 1: Judy's Crazy Night

*I only own the ideas for the story. Zootopia characters, places, etc. belong to Disney. Zootopia All Rights Reserved.*

The sun set on the animal city Zootopia as Judy Hopps, her partner Nick Wilde, and the other animal police officers sat around in the officers mission room. Chief Bogo stood in front of the class as he discussed a "job well done" to everyone, than bid them all goodnight.

Judy drove back to her apartment with Nick in their police vehicle, knowing that it had been a long days work. Both him and Judy were tired, but that didn't stop Nick from trying to cheer Judy up.

"So, today was interesting, huh?" Nick said, slightly mellow. Judy sighed, focusing on driving. Today had been a tough case for them.

"Yeah, if you don't count the time the Elephant Dart bounced off the metal pipe and knocked me out for half an hour! Other than that, it was just crazy!" Judy retorted.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault the dart hit you! I was aiming for the raccoon you were chasing! Besides, you did seem a bit romantic while talking!" Nick commented.

"Like what?! What did I say?!" Judy exclaimed, afraid of whatever embarrassing words came out of her mouth.

"Oh you know, words like; 'Nicky is my red, furry Valentine!', 'Catch the stripped weasel before he goes into the metal tube!', 'I love carrot cake!', 'Nick is my BFFF! Best Fox Friend Forever!', 'I use my cell phone as my flashlight!' 'I - Ow!" Nick said before he got hit in the shoulder by Judy. Judy was bright pink under her furry cheeks, just hearing Nick mimic what she said with the Elephant Dart in her.

"Stop talking! It's embarrassing enough that you remember what I said, but that I said those things in public! Ahhhhh! Why? Why did I say those things!?" Judy exclaimed, accidentally hitting the horn out of frustration. She turned towards the apartments as Nick kept talking.

"Hey, hey, hey! Easy Carrots! Everyone gets embarrassed! You aren't the only one! Besides, you DID sound adorable!"

"That was the dart talking!" Judy replied impatiently, putting the vehicle in the parking position.

"Oh come on! Nibble on an ice cube, Judy. Don't tell me you're mad just because your 'red, furry Valentine' accidentally hit you with a dart that knocked you out for thirty minutes or so! You did tell me you loved me after we became partners," Nick responded. Judy opened the driver's door and got out as did Nick.

"Look Nick, I appreciate the affection. But saying those things isn't something I would say in public! It just sounds so unprofessional! Can't we just say it was my wack-o-doodle mind saying words because of the dart, and call it a day?" Judy commented. She then gave Nick the car keys and walked on the side walk with him.

"Yeah, but I know some of what you said is true. Come on, don't tell me after hearing what you said from me, doesn't make you sound adorable?" Nick replied with a smirk. Judy rolled her eyes.

"Adorable as in ridiculously embarrassing?" Judy asked, slightly annoyed.

"More like adorable for a hug!" Nick corrected her. Judy sighed.

"Okay, Nick! You may have a hug!" Judy said before the two friends hugged for a minute or two. Once they separated from the hug, Nick said goodnight to Judy, got in the police car and drove off.

Judy got into her apartment room shortly after, and once she put her police supplies in her bag, on her bed, Judy walked over to her bedroom door, locked it, walked over to her desk and sat in it. Then she did the one thing she could think of doing; she hit her head on her desk.

"What! Is! Wrong! With! Me!?" Judy said while hitting her head on the wooden desk. Judy just frowned and hid her face in her paws. Words couldn't describe how humiliated she was after hearing Nick say some of the things she had spoken about with the Elephant Dart in her during the mission. It wasn't just unprofessional in Judy's eyes, but some of those things she had said about Nick were true. She DID have feelings for him. She did love him. But to say those things in public was something she never wanted to do. Even if she had the dart in her, still, she was embarrassed by her actions. Then something else came to her mind.

"Oh carrot sticks! ... If Chief Bogo finds out about this, I'm in deep water!" Judy said to herself before thinking back to the mission that day.

"Dog gone it! Why did Nick have to hit me with the dart?! I know it was an accident, but still! Ahhhhh!" Judy exclaimed before hitting her head on the desk again, then brought her paws up to her forehead, rubbing her forehead.

"Nick Wilde, sometimes you can be a smart guy... and then some days, you're a knucklehead!" Judy said before she got out of her desk and changed into her pajamas. She then turned the lights off and went to bed.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" A loud, strange screech exclaimed, waking Judy up.

"Ahhhhhhhhh! What was that?!" Judy said, getting her cell phone and looking around the bedroom with the light. Nothing. She then looked outside, but also saw nothing. Judy looked at the time on her phone which read 2:45 AM. Judy's eyes grew wide and she shuddered. Whatever made that noise was close, and somewhere near the building. That made her feel uneasy. Judy then got back into bed, and pulled the covers over her. Eventually, she got back to sleep, but what on earth made that noise?


	2. Bats are Mammals?

Chapter 2: Bats Are Mammals?

Judy woke up and got out of bed and got ready for work. However, she kept looking out the window where the sound came from last night. Judy felt a shiver go down her spine thinking about what happened the night before. That noise was just scary.

"Wait a minute... Last night was when I had talked to Nick about ... Nick! Oh no! If Chief Bogo finds out, I'll be the laughing stock of the ZPD!" Judy said as she ran out of her apartment, got into her small police car and drove to the police building. Judy walked in and saw that the place looked normal.

"Hi Judy! Want a donut?" Officer Clawhauser asked, showing the box of donuts in front of him.

"Thank you, but no thank you. Hey, Officer Clawhauser, do you know where Chief Bogo is?" Judy asked polity. Officer Clawhauser pointed towards the offices, and Judy headed in that direction.

"Hello? Chief Bogo?" Judy asked, knocking on the door.

"Come in!" Chief Bogo answered before Judy entered. Chief Bogo looked up and saw Judy.

"Judy? What do you want?" Chief Bogo asked seriously.

"Chief Bogo. I have something to explain. During yesterday's mission, I-" Judy started to explain before getting interrupted.

"You got hit with the Elephant Dart and did some things you are not proud of? Yes, I know. Nick explained everything. I'm not mad at you Judy," Chief Bogo said.

"You aren't mad? Why?" Judy asked, surprised by Chief Bogo's behavior.

"We all have our off days, Judy. Besides, Nick explained that it was his fault and not yours. He will be doing target practice to get better at his aim, and you will be handling the darts from now on. That way this won't happen again," Chief Bogo explained. Judy thanked him and then left for class.

"Hey Nick, thank you for bailing me out with Chief Bogo!" Judy said to the fox, before sitting next to him.

"No problem. But you owe me one!" Nick replied before Chief Bogo walked into the room. He then got the reports for the day, and stood in front of the stand.

"Good morning everyone. Now we have more mammal cases in Tundratown, Rainforest District, and all the other locations we have been going to so far. Okay, now for the reports..." Chief Bogo said before assigning everyone their missions. Lastly was Judy and Nick.

"Hopps, Wilde, I have an unusually case for you two here in Zootopia. It turns out that we have a case of a Flying Fox gone crazy!" Chief Bogo announced to them.

"What? Foxes can fly now?! Why wasn't I told about this?!" Nick exclaimed as if it was the best news he had ever heard in his life.

"Not THAT kind of fox, Wilde. A Flying Fox is a fruit bat that eats fruit," Chief Bogo explained.

"Chief Bogo, aren't bats rare in Zootopia? I mean, there aren't that many if them around here!" Judy asked.

"Correct Judy. Which makes this case all the more unusual, since not much is known about them. And yes, despite the myths and legends surrounding them, bats ARE in fact mammals," Chief Bogo continued explaining. Suddenly, Nick started laughing like crazy.

"What's so funny Wilde?" Chief Bogo asked in both surprise and annoyance.

"Bats are mammals? Come on? Ever mammal knows that bats are either birds with fur, or mice with wings!" Nick commented, getting a head shake from both Bogo and Judy, who had awkward looks on their faces.

"What? It's true!" Nick said trying to defend himself.

"Wilde, that is not true! Bats are mammals!" Chief Bogo said seriously.

"Aha! So they ARE mice with wings?!" Nick said, pounding his paw on the table.

"Oh carrot tops..." Judy said softly, before covering her face with her paws. This caused Nick to look at her.

"What?! What's wrong? Are they mice with wings or not?" Nick asked, clearly confused.

"NO! ... Oh my horns. Wilde, before you go on this case, I suggest you get educated on the mammal you are assigned to. Wilde, Mammals education room. Now!" Chief Bogo said, pointing to the door.

"Yes Chief Bogo," Nick said before exiting the room. Chief Bogo hit his forehead with his hoof, while Judy did the same with her paw.

"Ahhhh. Newbies!" Chief Bogo said in annoyance.

"Tell me about it!" Judy said in reply.

"Anyways, while Nick gets his mind in order, you will be taking this case alone Judy!" Chief Bogo said before giving her the file. He then left the room and let Judy look at the file.

"Okay, let's see what I got this time," Judy said to herself opening the file. What she saw surprised even her.

"Wahoo! This is different..." Judy exclaimed looking over the file. She then packed up the file, and headed to hers and Nick's vehicle.


	3. Batty Mission

Chapter 3: Batty Mission

Judy drove in the police vehicle her and Nick normally drove in. She drove around trying to find the bat she got assigned to. Some male fruit bat named Zalen Hangs. Either way, Judy kept driving trying to find the bat. Seriously, what would a bat be doing in Zootopia?

"Ahhhhhhhhhh! Get away! Owwww! Stop! Help! Somebody help me!" a voice cried out towards the middle of town. Judy turned her sirens on and drove towards the location of the sound. Once she arrived, she saw many mammals running around like crazy! But one mammal was limping, inching her way from a huge bat. Suddenly, Judy looked closer, recognizing the victim.

"Mrs. Otterton?!" Judy cried out, seeing the otter trying to get away from the bat. Judy then ran towards Mrs. Otterton and the bat.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" Judy exclaimed, stopping feet from the bat. The bat quickly turned around, and Judy had a look of horror on her face. The bat's eyes were yellow, it looked like the muscles in it's body were tight, and the bat looked as if it was going savage. No, not just savage, insane!

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The bat screeched, causing in Judy to realize this bat was what she had heard the night before near her apartment.

"Stop, in the name of the law!" Judy said, hoping the crazy bat would cooperate. It didn't. Instead, the bat crawled over to a lamp pole and climbed it.

"Oh no you don't!" Judy retorted, jumping on a variety of building walls, getting to the top of the lamp pole. Judy got out her handcuffs, and attached one end to the pole, the other end to the bat's foot. The bat tried to fly away, but it couldn't. Judy smiled, happy that she had caught the bat... Or so she thought.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The crazy fruit bat cried out again, his foot becoming loose from the handcuffs. Judy saw this and her eyes widened.

"No. No, no, no, no, nononononono!" Judy said, hoping the handcuffs would work. They didn't, because in a matter of seconds, the bat kept struggling, and freed it's foot.

"No! Come back!" Judy said, looking around for a quick solution. Suddenly, she saw a beaver selling some rope. Judy quickly bought some rope and went after the bat.

"Stop! I said stop!" Judy announced to the bat, but it just kept crawling away.

"Okay, I hope this works!" Judy said making a big hole in the rope so she could lasso the bat. She may not have done much rope practice, but this time, she hoped it worked. She spun the rope as best she could, and once the circle of rope was around the bat's foot, she pulled.

"Yes!" Judy said, catching the bat in her lasso. The bat looked and screeched at her, seeing it's foot was caught. Then, the bat decided to do the only other escape idea it had.

"Wahoooo!" Judy exclaimed, holding on tight to the rope as the bat jumped into the air, and flapped it's wings. Judy held on as tight as possible as she was lifted into the air, holding onto the rope that was attached around the bat's foot, as it flew. Judy's eyes displayed emotions of fear and shock.

"This- This mammal can... FLY?!" Judy exclaimed, now realizing that this mammal was capable of more than just a chase on foot. Now she was looking below, only to see the sides of buildings and such. She was up in the air.

"Okay, time for a landing!" Judy said, pulling out her elephant dart. She aimed it at the bat, but then stopped as Chief Bogo's words ran through her head. 'Nick will be doing target practice... You'll be handling the darts from now on...' Judy froze. If she released the dart, two things could happen; one, she would hit the bat as planed, or two the dart could miss, fall down and hit another animal. Maybe a dart being released while in mid-air wasn't such a good idea.

Suddenly, the bat flew faster, causing Judy to hold onto the rope desperately. Luckily, the bat landed upside down on another pole, leaving Judy hanging onto the rope. She looked up, seeing the crazy bat staring at her, almost in a calm, pleasant way.

"Sir, if you would please come with me, I'd like to-"

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The bat shouted, interrupting her. Judy quickly let go of the rope, covering her ears due to how loud the bat's yell was. This caused her to fall onto the ground, then she looked up. The bat still was there, staring at her.

"Okay, hold still Zalen. This will only take a minute..." Judy reassured the bat. The crazy bat Zalen just stared at her as if she was crazy. Then, with only a window of opportunity to spare, Judy pulled out her elephant dart, and fired it at the bat. The dart hit the bat in the chest, and after the bat gave out a painful cry, it tried to fly away, but it started to slow down. Within seconds, it was fast asleep on the ground. Judy quickly took the rope attached to it, and tied up the bat before going to retrieve her handcuffs. Once she had her handcuffs, she untied the bat, put the handcuffs on the bats ... arms? Yeah. She put the handcuffs on the bats arms, then tied the rope around the bat again, so it couldn't escape.

"Phew! What a mission!" Judy said to herself before pulling out her radio communicator.

"Officer Judy Hopps to base. I caught the bat!"

"What? You got sent to a baseball game? Lucky bunny! Wish I could have come..." Officer Clawhauser answered.

"No! Uh! Is Chief Bogo there?" Judy replied.

"Chief Bogo here. Is this Hopps?" the Chief asked over the radio.

"Yes. Chief Bogo, I caught the bat. But we need help. Mrs. Otterton got hurt, and this bat is going crazy. I think it needs help. We need to take them to the hospital!" Judy explained.

"Good work, Judy. We are on our way!" Chief Bogo replied before ending the call. Judy sighed before staring at the crazy bat, who was sleeping in front of her.

"What in the name if carrot cake is this bat doing? I've never seen behavior like this!" Judy said to herself before dragging the bat to her police car. This was one weird day.

Thank you for reading. Hmmm. What is the bat doing in Zootopia? Why is it going crazy? Find out soon. Please leave a review. Thank you.


	4. Nick's Jokes and Bandages

Chapter 4: Nick's Jokes and Bandages

Judy drove to the Zootopia hospital where the bat Zalen was taken to a room to be treated. She sat on a bench in the waiting room, thinking about her mission. Moments later, the Zootopia Police arrived with Mrs. Otterton. Nick walked up to Judy and sat down next to her.

"So Judy, how was the mission?" Nick asked with a smirk on his face, his voice giving off a combination of amusement, and curiosity.

"Crazy! The bat attacked Mrs. Otterton, I tried to restrict the bat with my handcuffs but it got loose and flew away, got to fly with the bat over the buildings, got screeched at by the bat, then had to prevent it from escaping and bring it here to the hospital!" Judy answered in an annoyed voice.

"Oh, I see. I'm sorry. Do you know why the bat attacked our otter friend?" Nick asked.

"No. But this mammal case is different, Nick! The bat acted like it was savage - Wait! No, not that! Like, it was going insane! Losing its mind! Like, it wasn't acting on instinct at all! And those eyes! They were yellow!"

"What? Yellow eyes? I think you need to lay off the carrots, Carrot!" Nick replied, slightly joking.

"No Nick. I'm not joking! And after I got the rope attached to its foot, it flew me into the air! This mammal can crawl AND fly, Nick!" Judy continued explaining.

"Wow! Really? It flew? Yeah, I learned that when I was getting educated about bats back at the Police education room, Judy. What's next? You're gonna tell me that wild cats can't purr except one of them?" Nick replied, acting like he was being given a reminder of basic mammal information.

"NNNIIIIIIICKKKK!" Judy scolded, getting annoyed with his lack of seriousness.

"Relax, I'm kidding. But seriously, I believe you. And yellow eyes? How is that possible?" Nick responded. Judy then got her cell phone out and went to her picture section.

"There! See, the bat has yellow eyes!" Judy said, giving her phone to Nick. Nick looked and his eyes widened.

"Oh sweet blueberries... You dressed up as a blueberry for Halloween?! That's awesome!" Nick said before he cracked up laughing. Judy's cheeks got pink as she quickly grabbed the phone and saw she had clicked on the wrong picture.

"Oops! Wrong picture... There! See what I mean?" Judy replied giving Nick the phone back. Nick stopped laughing and stared at the picture.

"Oh my gosh. Judy, I don't know what to say..." Nick replied, giving Judy back her phone.

"Well at least the bat is safe. But I have no idea why he went so crazy!" Judy responded. Suddenly, Judy and Nick were allowed to visit Mrs. Otterton. They went into the room, and quietly walked into the hospital room.

"Hi Mrs. Otterton. I'm sorry about what happened to you," Judy said kindly.

"Oh Judy. You don't need to be sorry. You caught the bat. I'm just glad all I got were bandages!" Mrs. Otterton replied sweetly.

"So what happened before he attacked you?" Judy asked curiously.

"Oh I was just walking back home after getting some groceries, then I heard a loud screeching sound, looked up, and got out of the way as the bat landed..." Mrs. Otterton explained before getting a scared look on her face.

"Then out of the blue, just as I asked if he needed help... the bat attacked me! I've never seen a bat or any other animal look so upset. And those eyes! Those yellow, awful eyes!" Mrs. Otterton continued explaining. She then turned to Judy and hugged her.

"Thank you Officer Judy!" Mrs. Otterton said, hugging her.

"You're welcome Mrs. Otterton," Judy replied before they separated from the hug.

"And you don't feel sick or have any other symptoms?" Judy asked.

"No. Apart from the pain, the injury, and being shaken up a little, I feel fine!" Mrs. Otterton answered.

"Thank you, Mrs. Otterton. We hope you get better!" Judy replied.

"Yeah, just take it easy, and we'll help figure out what's going on," Nick added. Mrs. Otterton nodded and bid them goodbye as they left the room.

"So, are we going to go talk to the bat now?" Nick asked as him and his partner walked down the hospital hallway.

"No. I got told the bat is sleeping. What we need to do is get the help of an expert about bats. Maybe that will help us out," Judy replied. Nick smiled with a smirk.

"Well, I got this old buddy of mine that we could..." Nick said before he was interrupted.

"No! Not Flash! I'm sorry, but we waited for HOURS to get that plate number!" Judy exclaimed, remembering the long wait they had the last time they got help from one of Nick's old pals.

"Actually, no. I was going to suggest we go see if our bat suspect has any friends we could get in touch with. Maybe even an expert!" Nick explained.

"And how are we supposed to do that?!" Judy asked.

"Ask Chief Bogo for the bat's information. The Chief may not be a bat expert, but he might be able to help us with a lead!" Nick suggested.

"Okay then. Let's go! And while we're at it, let's get a decaf coffee. You for being educated about bats, and me for catching the bat and completing the mission!" Judy answered jumping with excitement.

"That's a good idea..." Nick agreed, following his partner.

"But... since the mission was suppose to be for us both, and I caught the bat and you didn't, you're paying for our coffee drinks!" Judy added. Nick stood in disbelief.

"What?! But why? Just because I wasn't on the mission? Come on Judy! It's my word against you! I helped get us get a lead!" Nick said, defending himself.

"Oh really? And, what were you doing at the Police Department while I was on the mission? Hmmm. Let's take a moment to review..." Judy said, pulling out her carrot pen and clicking the rewind button.

'Wow! Really? It flew? Yeah, I learned that when I was getting educated about bats back at the Police education room, Judy...' the carrot pen recording said, playing back what Nick said a while ago. Nick face-pawed his forehead. 'Dog gone it! She HAD to use the carrot pen, didn't she?' Nick thought to himself as Judy smiled at him.

"See? We both got the assignment, but I got the bad guy, you got schooled about bats. No mission, no breaks! It's called a hustle, sweetheart!" Judy said before putting the pen away. Nick growled.

"Fine! How much for the coffee drinks?" Nick asked.

"Oh, twelve to fifteen dollars... Plus tax! That will be... twelve dollars, plus tax of two more dollars, that's fourteen dollars per mammal... Oh yeah! That's going to be twenty-eight dollars' worth of two coffees, good sir!" Judy answered.

"Dang it!" Nick said, getting out his wallet as they headed toward the coffee station in the cafeteria.

* * *

Well, this is interesting. Will there be any help Judy and Nick can get about the bat? Read and find out. Please review. Thank you.


	5. Meeting Mr Membrane

Chapter 5: Meeting Mr. Membrane

*I own the characters Mr. Membrane and Zalen Hangs.*

After Judy and Nick had their coffee, they went to the mission room to see Chief Bogo.

"Hopps, Wilde, what are you two doing here?" Chief Bogo asked seriously.

"Chief Bogo, Nick thought you may be able to help us with a lead. He was thinking that if you could look up the bat's information, we might be able to find a bat expert to help us out, you know," Judy explained.

"Of course. Nice thinking Wilde," Chief Bogo said before taking the bat's file report. The Chief typed some buttons on his computer, and then after a while, he looked at the page on the screen before turning to Nick and Judy.

"Turns out you made a good decision. I looked some more at the bat's information, and I found an old teacher of his. A bat named Mr. Membrane who lives in the Rainforest District. I'll give you the info," Chief Bogo said before getting the bat teacher's location and the bat file, then giving them both to Judy.

"Thank you, Chief Bogo. Come on Nick!" Judy retorted, leaving the room. Nick followed her and after they drove for two hours or so to the location, the two mammal police officers got out and walked up to the door.

"Hello? Mr. Membrane?" Judy called out knocking on the door. Once she finished knocking, there was a moment of silence, then the door opened.

"Hello? Can I help you?" an adult bat asked. The bat looked like a Straw-Colored Fruit bat, wearing blue jeans, a buttoned flannel shirt, and brown fur.

"Hi. Sorry to bother you, but are you Mr. Membrane? I'm officer Judy Hopps of ZPD. My partner and I were wondering if we could talk to you?" Judy explained.

"Yes, I am Mr. Membrane. And sure. Come on in. Don't mind the lights!" The bat answered holding open the door for the two mammals to walk inside. After Mr. Membrane closed the door, he walked over to a chair and sat down.

"Wow!" Judy and Nick said at the same time. The place was amazing! Leaves were woven together to make the roof, lamps with a red light were displayed from above throughout the house. Books, bat skeletons, and other artifacts were on tables, shelves, and near lamps on tables. An aroma of watermelon and oranges could be smelled from the kitchen.

"You have a nice house sir!" Nick commented politely.

"Thank you. Now, why did you want to see me?" Mr. Membrane asked. Judy sat down on the couch next to the bat, while Nick sat next to her.

"Mr. Membrane, are you familiar with a bat named Zalen Hangs?" Judy asked cautiously.

"Oh yes. He was one of my old students. Wild, and a goofball at times, but a nice, hard working student," Mr. Membrane replied. Judy took a deep breath.

"Mr. Membrane, I'm afraid Zalen is in the hospital. He attacked a friend of ours, and I had an encounter with him. Zalen bit our friend, but I think he didn't do it on purpose. My partner and I, we don't know much about bats, so we were wondering if you could help us?" Judy told the bat.

"Sure. Hmmm. Could you describe what happened, please?" Mr. Membrane asked curiously.

"Yes. When I encountered Zalen, he had already bit our friend. I tried to get him to stop, but he just climbed up a pole, and then flew off with me hanging below after I attached a rope to his foot. But he didn't look normal," Judy started explaining.

"Hehe. I see. Continue what you mean by 'not normal. Like the Night Howler incident?" Mr. Membrane said, trying to understand.

"No, I don't think the Night Howler plant is responsible. In that situation, the mammals eyes were red; Zalen had yellow eyes. Plus, his muscles were tight, he screeched at me. He also looked at me in a calm way. However, his behavior was different. It was like he had gone insane, lost his mind. Like he wasn't even running on instinct," Judy continued explaining. The bat rubbed his chin.

"I see. This seems familiar to me. If he isn't acting on instinct, he my have a disease. Something affecting his brain so even though he acts on instinct, his behavior shows otherwise. Zalen was not the aggressive type at all," Mr. Membrane replied. Judy was surprised.

"You think this is some kind of mental illness? Or am I getting it wrong?" Judy asked.

"No. Not a mental illness. A disease that normally would be inside the bat's bloodstream, but once it reached the brain, it affected his behavior. Bats don't just go crazy out of thin air!" Mr. Membrane explained.

"What kind of disease would he have?" Judy asked curiously.

"It's hard to say. Us bats are capable of being carriers of many awful diseases, and although the diseases do not kill us, if we bit another animal, they could be severely sick or die. It's a mystery that not even I don't know the answer to," Mr. Membrane replied calmly. Judy wrote down as Mr. Membrane spoke.

"So, is there a cure?" Judy asked.

"That depends on the disease in Zalen's body. Some diseases we bats can carry have no cure at all. Some do have a cure, but then the mammal needs to be watched over a certain time period, or get the anti version of the disease early. There's no straightforward answer," Mr. Membrane respond casually. Judy wrote down more notes, then looked up.

"Last question. Do bats have the disease on their own, or does it need to come from a predator or other mammal?" Judy asked.

"Most of the time bats need to get bit by another mammal with the disease first, then we get it. Only a few diseases are in the bat's body without the disease coming from a source. And any disease from a bat can only be transferred by a bite, saliva, or brain tissue. And yes, I am health," Mr. Membrane replied as Judy wrote down notes.

"Thank you Mr. Membrane. I think that's all the bat information we need," Judy said before she and Nick headed for the door.

"Wait! Take this..." Mr. Membrane said, flying over to a bookshelf, grabbed a book with his foot, then flew over to Judy and Nick, giving them the book.

"Here. This book will help give you basic information about bat diseases, how they are transferred, and other bits of information. It might help you," Mr. Membrane said. Judy took the book, thanked the bat, and then her and Nick got into their police vehicle.

"So, we just find out what disease Zalen Hangs has?" Nick asked.

"Yes. And the sooner we do, the better... This case just got a lot more serious..." Judy replied, as she drove them back to Zootopia.

* * *

Wow, this just got more intense! Thank you for reading. Please review.


	6. Roommates and Research

Chapter 6: Roommates and Research

Judy and Nick arrived at the ZPD, and went inside to go talk to Chief Bogo about what they learned.

"Hopps, Wilde, what did you two find out from Mr. Membrane?" Chief Bogo asked.

"Chief Bogo, we learned a lot from Mr. Membrane. And this case got a lot more serious," Judy replied.

"'More serious'? How?" Chief Bogo asked, curiously.

"Chief, according to Mr. Membrane, he thinks Zalen has some kind of disease. Something that can be transferred from bat to another mammal. In addition, some diseases have no cure, while others do, but the treatment needs to be given early," Judy continued explaining.

"Mr. Membrane was a big help though. We're going to do research and find out what Zalen may have," Nick added. Chief Bogo sighed.

"I can't believe this! Well, good job Hopps and Wilde. Go do your research and once you find out what's going on, report back to me!" Chief Bogo replied. Judy and Nick nodded, than went to go do their research.

"Hey Judy, if you want, want to sleepover at my place so we can keep doing research?" Nick asked Judy politely.

"Sure, and speaking of sleepovers, my old neighbors are moving out. If you ever needed a place to stay, the apartment could be yours!" Judy said to Nick.

"Cool! Should we head over to my place?" Nick replied.

"Not yet. Let's see if we can talk to Zalen first," Judy replied, driving to the Zootopia hospital. They arrived and we're allowed to speak with Zalen for a short time. The room had red lights like the ones at Mr. Membrane's place, and Zalen was lying in a bed.

"Zalen, hello. My name is Officer Judy Hopps. My partner and I would like to ask you some questions, if you have some time..." Judy said introducing herself and Nick.

"Go ahead officer Judy," Zalen replied with a slight raspy voice.

"Do you remember anything that happened before you went crazy?" Judy asked.

"No. The last thing I remember was getting some mangoes from the refrigerator, eating them, going on a nighttime flight, and then I went crazy. It happened when I flew near an apartment building," Zalen replied.

"That was my apartment you were nearby. When did the symptoms occur? Like the first time you noticed them?" Judy asked, trying to make clear, understandable questions.

"The first time it happened, it was three or so months ago. Scared me at first, then the symptoms would vanish, and come back every now and again!" Zalen explained.

"Do you remember attacking Mrs. Otterton, or your flight with me?" Judy asked, curious if he remembered what had happened earlier.

"Honestly, no. I remember seeing Mrs. Otterton, and you, but I have no idea what happened," Zalen answered.

"Thank you. We'll let you rest and help you out as best we can," Judy said before her and Nick left the room.

"Now what?" Nick asked Judy as they left the hospital.

"Now, we go to your place, and find out what Zalen has. Good thing it's not an airborne disease..." Judy replied. The two officers then went to Nick's place to do research.

"Welcome to my home!" Nick said as they entered. The place was a small, abandoned house that had been fixed up. Red painted walls, a nice kitchen, green chairs and a couch, a TV, a bathroom, some bedrooms, a table with a laptop on it. Surprisingly, it looked decent. Nick turned the lights on, then sat on the couch, and Judy joined him.

"Okay, so we know some things about bat diseases, now let's focus on the symptoms. There's got to be a match!" Judy said, going through the information they had collected. They looked at what they had and reviewed the information for hours.

"This disease stuff is harder than I thought!" Nick said as he looked over as many diseases as he could without confusing the symptoms.

"Not surprised. Some of them sound simple, but the diseases themselves can have different symptoms, or similar ones!" Judy responded in agreement.

"True. Especially since... Oh gosh!... Oh my gosh that's bad!... Excuse me!" Nick said before running to the bathroom and shut the door. Judy looked at what disease Nick had been looking at, reading the symptoms if not treated. Judy quickly got uncomfortable and looked away from the piece of paper.

"Okay! Definitely not that one! Yuck! Oh gosh! ... My goodness, how can bats carry some of these diseases and not die?" Judy said after she got comfortable again. Judy took a deep breath and looked some more again at her information. She had made a list of all the bat diseases and checked the ones that were not what Zalen had displayed. Nick got out of the bathroom, and he sat next to Judy.

"So, any progress? I got some, but they are too...what's the word?... upsetting, to be what Zalen has!" Nick said to Judy.

"Yes, I made a list and checked the ones Zalen does not have. We only got a few more," Judy said before picking up the bat book Mr. Membrane gave them.

"Hey Judy, want to order a pizza? It's getting late and I'm hungry!" Nick asked kindly. Judy looked at Nick and smiled.

"Yeah. Pizza sounds good. Let's take a break..." Judy replied before getting up. Nick walked into the kitchen and got out the number for different pizza places.

"Hey Carrots, what do you want on your pizza?" Nick asked from the kitchen.

"Hmmm. May we get a grass and pineapple for me please? You can get what you want," Judy replied. Nick then ordered the pizza for delivery and after that was done, he poured himself and Judy some juice.

"It's nice just to take a break from all this work," Judy said before drinking her juice.

"Yup. It can be crazy sometimes," Nick responded in agreement. Judy then asked if she could use the restroom, and Nick said yes. Once Judy was gone, Nick then got out a cup of coffee and some blueberries. What Judy didn't know was that the coffee Nick had saved was not decaf. And with the blueberries, the coffee would be even sweeter. Nick had always gotten decaf coffee, but he had always wanted to try regular coffee. After mixing the blueberries and coffee in a blender, he poured the liquid into the cup, and drank half of it.

"Mmmmmm! Good! My goodness, why haven't I had this before?" Nick told himself. Then, after two minutes, he found out why. Nick ran around the living room like he was a cheetah. Since the coffee wasn't decaf, and the sweet sugar from the blueberries added more energy, Nick was a sugar crazy fox running around trying to burn off the energy. Suddenly, he got an idea.

"Oh! I could be a Flying Fox!" Nick said to himself. He ran to his closet and grabbed a bat mask, and a big, blue bed sheet. Nick put the bat mask on and wrapped his arms and body in the blue bed sheet. He then ran around the living room, flapping his arms around, the blue bed sheet flapping with the moments of Nick's arms.

"Alright Nick, now what should we do... Nick?! What are you doing?" Judy asked in shock, seeing Nick act so strange.

"I'm a Flying Fox!" Nick exclaimed, running around with the blue bed sheet behind him. Judy just looked at Nick like he was being a goofball. She then looked at the kitchen table, and saw the coffee.

"You made coffee? Why would you..." Judy picked the cup up, took a little sip, and noticed it had an interesting flavor. It did not taste like decaf, and it had some kind of fruity taste. Then she saw the blueberries, and put two and two together.

"You drank blueberries with caffeine coffee?!" Judy exclaimed, feeling like Nick had just done the most ridiculous thing she had ever seen him do.

"Yeah! You only let me drink decaf, so I wanted to try the other kind! Wahooooooooo!" Nick exclaimed as he kept running around the room, almost like a kid pretending to be a super hero with a cape.

"You're a fox with a sugar problem! You need to calm down!" Judy said, watching "Bat Nick" running like a goofball.


	7. Stakeout Night

Chapter 7: Stakeout Night

"Wahooo!" Nick cried out, running around the room pretending to be a bat. Judy just looked at him like he was crazy.

"Nick, you need to calm down!" Judy told her goofball friend, but Nick wouldn't listen. Suddenly, the doorbell rang, surprising them both. Nick tripped causing him to crash into Judy and the big, blue bed sheet fell on top of both of them.

"Ahhhhhhh!" Judy screamed as her and Nick were stuck under the blue bed sheet. Nick got out of the sheet and walked over to the door.

"Hi sir. Here's your pizza!" a beaver said, giving Nick the pizza. Nick then thanked the beaver, paid him, and closed the door. Judy continued to struggle under the bed sheet.

"Alright Judy, the pizza's here - Ahhhhhhhhhh!" Nick said before he screamed seeing Judy under the blue bed sheet.

"Ahhhh! Oooooooo! N-Nick?! Help!" Judy said, struggling under the blue bed sheet. Nick's eyes widened with fear.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh! A monster!" Nick exclaimed, backing away from the sheet covered Judy.

"No Nick! It's me! I'm stuck!" said the "monster". Nick quickly remembered what had happened before and knew who was trapped under the sheet.

"Judy!" Nick said, before helping Judy get out of the blue bed sheet.

"Thank you Nick. Come on, let's eat!" Judy replied before putting the bed sheet on the couch. Her and Nick then ate their dinner, washed up, put the bed sheet away and went to bed.

Brrrriiiiing! Brrrriiiiing! Judy's cell phone rang. Judy woke up, and answered the phone.

"Hello? Officer Judy Hopps here. How can I help you?" Judy said, answering the call.

"Officer Hopps, this is Cheif Bogo. I just got a call from the hospital. Zalen broke out of his hospital room and escaped! You and Wilde need to find him!" Cheif Bogo explained over the phone.

"We're on it!" Judy replied before ending the call.

"Wake up Nick!" Judy said before hitting Nick gently with a pillow. Nick woke up and the two friends got ready as Judy explained the situation.

"Okay! Let's go!" Nick said once he was ready. Nick and Judy drove around in their car, looking for Zalen, but they had no luck. They even asked around, but no luck there either.

"Well, we got no luck finding Zalen. Any suggestions Carrots?" Nick asked getting into the car.

"Yes. If we can't find Zalen, we'll have to catch him. And I think I know a place he might be at tonight. My apartment!" Judy replied with a smile.

"Okay, but how are we going to catch Zalen?" Nick asked, feeling confused.

"Simple. Got any old items we can use to make a trap?" Judy asked.

"Yes. I got a box of items in the closet!" Nick replied casually. Judy and Nick then went to Nick's place, and got out the box of items. They found just what Judy was hoping for; a big white bed sheet, and some rope. Once they had all they needed, they headed to Judy's apartment. However, they noticed it was getting dusk, so they quickly set up the trap outside, and then hid behind some bushes.

"So how does the trap work again?" Nick asked as they waited.

"Well, the corners of the bed sheet are tied to the rope, which is hanging over a tree branch, allowing the sheet to be above the ground. Then, when Zalen is in the right spot, we pull on the other end of the rope, causing the rope to release the sheet, and the bed sheet will drop down on top of Zalen, trapping him underneath. Then, we tie the bed sheet up, and take him to the hospital!" Judy calmly explained.

"Nice thinking Carrots!" Nick commented. Judy smiled.

"Thank you. All we need to do now is wait for Zalen to come at the right moment and drop the sheet on top of him," Judy replied. The two mammals waited for hours, trying to stay up, and focus on the task at hand.

"I'm bored...

Nick and Judy's eyes widened. They slowly turned around and looked up. Zalen was right above them, watching what they were doing.

"Zalen. Please come down. We would be happy to take you back to the hospital..." Judy said before being interrupted.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" screeched Zalen before he jumped off the tree branch and started to crawl away.

"I got him! Wait for my signal!" Judy told Nick as she jumped from behind the bushes and chased after the bat. Judy ran after Zalen, trying to get him to go in the spot the trap was placed at. She had to be patient and quick. Soon, once she say Zalen getting closer to the spot whee the trap was located, she called out the signal.

"Now Nick! Release the sheet!" Judy called out, hoping the trap would work. Nick pulled the rope, and the rope released the white bed sheet from above and it fell. However, Zalen saw this and jumped away. Judy gasped and jumped.

"Zalen! Wait!" Judy exclaimed, hopping over towards Zalen to try and get him to stay on target with the trap. Unfortunately, Zalen jumped away, and as Judy landed where Zalen had been, the big, white bed sheet fell right on top of Judy, trapping her underneath it.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh! Not again!" Judy screamed as the white bed sheet fell on her, and she struggled to get free. Nick however wasn't paying attention to Judy. He was watching Zalen. Nick jumped out of the bushes and chased Zalen.

"Zalen! Come back!" Nick cried out, hoping the bat would listen.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Zalen screeched at Nick until he jumped into the air and flew away.

"Ah cheese and crackers! We almost had him!" Nick said before turning back towards where the trap was.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" Nick screamed, seeing Judy under the white bed sheet.

"What? What happened? I can't see!" Judy asked, her voice muffled by the sheet.

"Ahhhhhhhh! A ghost!" Nick exclaimed as the "ghost" waved it's arms around and started wondering towards him.

"Nick! I'm not a ghost! It's me, Judy! Get me outta here!" Judy said, still stuck under the bed sheet. Nick however, only heard a few of Judy's words.

"Oh no! The ghost's got Judy! Judy! Hang on, I'll save you!" Nick said before running towards the ghost. Judy's eyes widened realizing what Nick was about to do.

"Nick! No! Stop - Ahhhhhhhhhh!" Judy exclaimed before Nick ran into her. Nick and the Ghost rolled on the ground until eventually, Judy was able to throw the bed sheet off.

"Nick! It's me!" Judy said getting out of the white bed sheet. Nick smiled and hugged Judy.

"Judy! Thank goodness your okay! I saved you from the ghost!" Nick said as he hugged her. Judy just gave Nick a confused look before they separated from the hug.

"Nick! There's no ghost. I tried to grab Zalen, but the bed sheet fell on top of me instead! I was trying to get out of the bed sheet, and you thought I was a ghost!" Judy explained. Nick quickly realized his mistake, and his ears folded back.

"I'm sorry Judy. I was so focused on Zalen that I didn't see the sheet fall on you. I'm sorry I thought you were a ghost," Nick apologized. Judy smiled.

"It's okay Nick. It was an accident. Speaking if Zalen, where is he?" Judy asked looking around.

"He jumped up and flew away! I'm sorry," Nick replied.

"No problem Nick. We'll find a way to catch Zalen. Let's go back to your place," Judy responded. She then gathered up the supplies they used for the trap and drove back to Nick's home.


	8. Carrot Cake Festival

Chapter 8: Carrot Cake Festival

Once Nick and Judy got back to Nick's home, they put the supplies away, and went to bed. The next day, Judy and Nick went to work. But after doing their missions, Judy went to visit Chief Bogo.

"Come in!" Chief Bogo said before Judy entered the room and closed the door. Chief Bogo was surprised.

"Hopps? What do you want?" Chief Bogo asked curiously.

"Chief Bogo, I know that I'm working hard, but I was wondering if I could take some time off?" Judy explained.

"Time off? For what?" Chief Bogo exclaimed.

"Chief Bogo, my family and the other bunnies in my hometown are having the Carrot Cake Festival. But I was also thinking some time away could help give me a chance to clear my mind about this case. Nick and I have been doing research, and we have found a few diseases Zalen might have, but we are still unsure. What do you think?" Judy explained.

"I see. Yes, you may go to your bunny festival, but once you find anything, return back to Nick and let him know," Chief Bogo replied. Judy smiled and then left the office.

"Hi Judy, why did you did you need to see Chief Bogo?" Nick asked his bunny friend as they walked out if the building.

"I was thinking of going back to see my family. The bunnies are all going to have their Carrot Cake Festival, so I wanted to join. Plus, maybe some time away will help clear my head about this case!" Judy explained.

"Good thinking. I'll hang out here and do more research," Nick replied as they got into the police vehicle. Nick then drove Judy to her apartment so she could get ready to leave. Once Nick left, Judy packed up her belongings. After that, she triple checked everything, and once she knew she had everything, she decided to read a book.

The next day, Judy got on the train, and went back to her hometown, Bunny Burrows. Once she arrived, she ran up to her parents and hugged them.

"I missed you guys so much!" Judy said before separating from the hug. Judy also greeted all of her siblings before everyone went inside the house.

"What a nice surprise Judy," Bonnie said getting some lunch for Judy and her parents.

"Your welcome," Judy replied.

"So Judy. How is Zootopia? How are the cases going?" Stu asked curiously. Judy's ears dropped.

"Honestly, the one I have is challenging. There's this bat who's going crazy, and he keeps making mammals sick. My partner and I talked with a bat expert, but this case is so different compared to other ones. It's like every answer we find, it only leaves more mysteries in front of us," Judy explained to the best of her ability.

"You'll figure it out," Bonnie replied, setting a sandwich in front of Judy with some water in a glass. The family ate quietly. Bonnie cleaned up the plates and glasses as they kept talking to Judy.

"So Judy, what are you doing back home?" Bonnie asked.

"I came back for the Carrot Cake Festival. I also thought maybe some time away from Zootopia could help clear my mind about this case," Judy explained.

"Good idea," Stu replied, agreeing with Judy. Judy smiled. Afterwards, Judy hung out with her siblings, and then everyone went to bed.

"I can't believe this! This is great!" Judy said as she walked around the Carrot Cake Festival. There were activity tents, games, a station about how carrot cake was made, another station about the history of carrot cake, carrot cake eating contests, and many more activities. Overall, it was fun.

"Thank you," Judy said as she got a piece of carrot cake. She went over to a table where he parents sat and they all at their carrot cake.

"So Judy, do you like the festival?" Bonnie asked kindly.

"Yeah. I mean these events bring back so many memories. The carrot cake eating, the games, hanging out with friends, the carrot shaped lights, the corn maze, it's just great!" Judy replied happily. Her parents smiled as they ate their carrot cake.

Eventually, the festival went into the next two days, and after that, it was time to take the festival equipment down. Tents were gently taken down, carrot cake was stored in refrigerators, and stations were taken down. Judy of course helped, and everyone had a good time.

Judy stayed two more days before deciding to go back to Zootopia on the weekend. Since then, she looked over the information she had gathered. Looking over the bat information again was a good refreshing moment in case she had missed anything, but overall, she wasn't having much luck.

"Hi Judy. How are you doing?" Bonnie asked as she sat down next to Judy on the couch.

"I'm doing fine. I was just looking over the information for this case, but so far I haven't found anything. I can only find a few ideas especially that fit what our suspect has, but nothing is making sense," Judy replied.

"Don't worry Judy. Sometimes it takes time to find the right solution," Bonnie said before giving Judy a hug. Judy hugged back and they both said goodnight. As her mom went to bed, Judy kept looking for clues as to what disease Zalen might have had, or how he even got it. Judy looked through some more pictures and information, and soon came across a picture she had looked at before. It was a picture of Zalen when he had attacked Mrs. Otterton. Judy got a magnifying glasses, and looked closer at Zalen. What she found surprised her. Very faint, but still noticeable, marks on Zalen's leg.

"When did he get those marks on his leg?" Judy said to herself. Judy then remembered she had pictures from other cases. Thinking she could figure out who attacked Zalen. She looked at a few old cases, until one caught her eyes. The raccoon she had chased at the beginning of the week. Judy looked at some of the raccoon's pictures until she found one that confirmed her thoughts. One picture showed the raccoon looking at the bat as if Zalen had done something wrong. Judy looked closely and saw the same marks on Zalen's leg.

"The raccoon bit Zalen. That's why he has the disease. Mr. Membrane was right," Judy told herself. Good news was that the raccoon was still in the hospital. Judy had to tell Nick what she found out.


	9. Fire in the Hole

Chapter 9: Fire in the Hole

Once the train arrived, Judy hugged her parents, said her goodbyes, and then got on the train. After a while, Judy arrived back in Zootopia. She got off the train and went to her apartment before calling Nick.

"Hello?" Nick's voice answered.

"Hi Nick. It's Judy," Judy replied.

"Oh. Hi Judy. What's up?" Nick asked.

"Nick, meet me at the ZPD. I found out more information about Zalen," Judy said

"No problem, Carrots," Nick replied back before Judy hung up. She then got what she needed and went to the ZPD. Luckily, she spotted Nick in the main entrance and ran up to him.

"Nick! I found out some more information," Judy said after running up to him.

"Judy! What did you find out?" Nick asked.

"Remember that raccoon we were chasing several days ago? He bit Zalen. That's how he got the disease!" Judy told her partner.

"What? Are you sure?" Nick asked, surprised. Judy then showed Nick the pictures and he was convinced.

"Okay. I'll go look for Zalen, you see if you can find the raccoon and talk to him!" Nick suggested. Judy nodded and the both left the building to complete their missions. Judy went to the hospital where the raccoon was. However, after getting told from the hospital staff that the raccoon was not feeling well, and that it was probably not safe to visit him at the moment, Judy understood, and went back to her apartment to look over the information again.

"Nick? Are you there?" Judy asked over the phone.

"Yes, I'm here. What's up?" Nick replied.

"Nick, I'm looking at the information again, and I was wondering if we could do more research when you are done?" Judy asked politely.

"Yes. I will let you know when I am done and you can come over to my place," Nick responded. They then hung up and Judy continued to look at the information she had. Luckily, she was able to rule out a few more diseases Zalen didn't have. That just left three more. Around five clock PM, Judy was allowed at Nick's place. They talked and hung out while doing research. Nick even looked up information on his cell phone, which was tricky sometimes.

"SHUT UP AUTO-CORRECT!" Nick exclaimed getting his seventh auto-correct word when he knew he had typed in the right word into the search bar. It was really annoying.

"I know, right? Anyways, want to order pizza?" Judy suggested.

"Sure. Once I kill auto-correct," Nick joked before getting off the couch. The two mammals ordered their pizza and drinks before sitting down to relax. It was a hard day trying to help find what disease Zalen had while the bat was somewhere in Zootopia.

"Mmmmm. This is so good. Thank you Nick," Judy said before taking another bite of her veggie pizza.

"No problem Carrots," Nick replied. Once they got done with their pizza, Nick and Judy gathered all the research they had.

"It's getting late, I should had back to my apartment. Thank you for letting me come over. Goodnight Nick!" Judy said as she headed towards the door.

"No worries, and you're welcome. Goodnight Judy," Nick replied before closing the door. Judy we t back to her apartment, and calmed down, before suddenly hearing a loud CLANK!

"What the heck? What was that?" Judy said going out into the hallway.

"I told you to be careful!" Bucky the antelope exclaimed in shock.

"I was! But it's a heavy box!" Pronk replied, slightly annoyed. As the two antelopes started to argue, Judy interrupted.

"Excuse me. What are you two doing?" Judy asked curiously.

"We're moving out. Just getting the last several items or so," Bucky answered.

"We even left a candle in the apartment room to keep the air fresh," Pronk added.

"Okay. If you need any help, let me know. I'd be happy to help if you need it," Judy offered. The two antelopes nodded before picking up the box on the floor and moving towards the stairs. This happened several times, before they were finished. Suddenly, there was a knock on Judy's door, and she answered it.

"Hello? Oh, Bucky and Pronk, what's up?" Judy asked politely.

"We wanted to say goodbye. We know we've been a pain with our yelling and such, but since we're moving to a different apartment place, we wanted to say a proper goodbye," Bucky answered.

"And we got you a present," Pronk said giving Judy a wrapped gift. Judy took the gift, and put it on her table before turning back to the antelope friends.

"Thank you for the gift," Judy said happily.

"You're welcome. It's the least we could do since we didn't really interact much," Bucky answered.

"And we want to thank you Judy. We didn't really pay much attention to you and your hard work, but after you became a bunny police officer, we were really impressed," Pronk commented.

"You're an inspiration Judy. You showed how even small mammals can accomplish great goals. You proved us wrong, and everyone else. We're going to miss you," Bucky added. Judy smiled and felt her eyes water. These two annoying antelopes were complimenting her, despite their behavior. She was touched. They spread out their arms, and Judy hugged them. After they separated from the hug, they said goodbye, and walked downstairs. As they did, the talking didn't end.

"It's going to be a long night. Hopefully I can stay awake,"

"Hey, I thought I was driving?! I thought we made an agreement!"

"We did. But I'm driving!"

"No, I'm driving!"

"I'm driving!"

"No, I'm driving!"

"SHUT UP!"

"SHUT UP!"

"NO YOU SHUT UP!"

"NO, YOU SHUT UP!"

The argument continued until Judy heard no more. She shook her head at their ridiculous arguing. She then opened up the gift they gave her, and gasped. It was a light blue shirt with Bucky, Pronk, and Judy together eating ice cream on the shirt. It was when they had gone to an apartment night gathering for barbecue and ice cream, and to hang out as friends. Above and below the image in yellow words read "Neighbors and Friends Forever". Then Judy flipped the shirt and saw more words on the back in yellow. They read "Judy, thank you for opening our eyes by doing the impossible. You're an amazing bunny, and we wish you luck. Thank you for being out neighbor. - Bucky and Pronk". Judy's eyes watered and she started crying as she hugged the shirt. Bucky and Pronk may have been noisy, annoying neighbors, but this shirt and their words of kindness was all worth putting up with them. She felt so grateful to have neighbors like them. She then folded up the shirt, put it in her bag, threw out the wrapping paper, got ready and went to bed.

Unfortunately, the candle Bucky and Pronk left out was next to a pipe that had a slight leak in it. The air blew from the pipe, causing in the flame to move around until it caught fire on the wall. Once that happened, the fire started to spread, crackling as it burned the inside of the apartment room. Minutes passed, as Judy slept not aware of the danger next door. The fire burned the whole apartment room and was now bring the hallway.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Judy's smoke detector went off as Judy woke up, annoyed. She went over to door where the smoke detector was until a light under the door caught her attention. Judy felt the door handle, and quickly pulled her paw away. It was hot. Judy carefully looked under the door and saw what looked like flames. She gasped.

"Oh no! I gotta get out of here!" Judy told herself, realizing the danger. Judy quickly gathered all her clothes into her bag, put on her police uniform, and gathered any other belongings she needed. Luckily, she had not brought many belongings to Zootopia, so she did not have much to remember. As she packed stuff, she saw the Fox Taser she had asked to take from her dad. Judy put it in her belt, and then made sure she had everything. Judy felt the place get hotter and hotter, and knew her only escape was the window.


	10. Loss

Chapter 10: Loss

Judy knew she didn't have much time. She had to get out, fast! The fire was approaching fast, but she had no way to get down! All Judy had was her bed-

"Wait a minute! My bed, of course!" Judy said before taking the covers off the bed. She tied up the sheets and duvet together to make a bed sheet rope. Hopefully it would be long enough to reach the bottom of the building. Judy opened her bedroom window, tied one end of the rope to her bed, and threw the bed sheet rope out the window. The bed sheet rope was enough to reach the bottom. Judy then got her mattress and carefully threw it out the window. Once the mattress had landed, Judy aimed and threw her luggage down to the mattress, and the luggage landed safely.

"Okay, now me," Judy said before she carefully went out the window, and held onto the bed sheet rope. She carefully held onto the sheets as she lowered herself down. Even though climbing down a rope made of bed sheets seemed simple, Judy didn't want to take any chances of falling and getting hurt. She wanted to be careful. Judy carefully made her way down, and almost got to the bottom, when she suddenly felt a jolt coming from above her. Judy looked up, and saw the sheet was holding was unraveling. Judy quickly kept climbing down as the sheet kept unraveling. Soon, it felt like she was Judy holding onto a regular bed sheet that was tied to something. Then, she felt the sheet slipping.

"Oh no!" Judy said, looking up in time to see the sheet she was holding onto was slipping from the knot it was tied to. As the knot kept slipping, Judy quickly, but carefully climbed down. Finally, she got to the ground. Judy let out a sigh of relief.

"Yes! I made it!" Judy exclaimed, throwing her paws up in the air. Unfortunately, the bed sheet she was holding slipped out of the knot, and the whole bed sheet came falling down on top of Judy!

"Ahhhhhhhhhh! Help! Help! Get me outta here! I'm stuck! Oooooooo! Ahhhhhhhhhh!" Judy cried out as she struggled under the bed sheet. As Judy struggled, the mammal in charge of the apartment building, an armadillo named Ms. Dharma, went around the building to see who was making the noise. When she saw Judy under the sheet however, Ms. Dharma got spooked!

"Ahhhhhhhhhh! A ghost! Ahhhhhhhhhh!" Ms. Dharma cried out as Judy struggled under the bed sheet. Judy kept struggling under the bed sheet, unable to see or get out. The more she struggled, the more Ms. Dharma was scared of the ghost.

"Ahhhhh! Oooooooo! Help! I can't see! Get me outta here!" Judy cried out as she struggled under the bed sheet. Suddenly, Ms. Dharma recognized the voice coming from the ghost.

"Judy?" Ms. Dharma said before Judy was able to get the bed sheet off of herself. Ms. Dharma went over to Judy and hugged her.

"Thank goodness you're alright. Someone told me about the fire and I help everyone get out. I'm so glad you got out okay," Ms. Dharma said to Judy.

"So am I Ms. Dharma. Sorry for scaring you," Judy replied back. Ms. Dharma accepted Judy's apology, and let Judy keep the sheet before she went back to the front of the building. Judy folded the bed sheet and packed it with her other belongings before she walked away towards the trees, away from the burning building.

"I can't believe this. My neighbors move away, a fire starts, I barely escape, a bed sheet falls on me and I got mistaken for a ghost, what else can go wrong?" Judy told herself. Suddenly, she felt breathing behind her. Judy turned around, only to be met with two yellow eyes.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" a loud voice screeched at Judy. Judy gasped and jumped back, instantly recognizing the screech.

"Zalen!" Judy exclaimed just as the bat revealed himself in the moonlight. The poor bat looked like he was going crazy, and had an almost cross-eyed look. Judy knew she had nothing to help her fight off the bat. Then, she felt something in her pocket. Judy reached in her pocket and pulled out the fox Taser. Just what she needed! Judy set the Taser to the lowest setting so the bat wouldn't be hurt. Zalen stared with confusion as Judy held the Taser.

"Stand back Zalen! I got a Taser!" Judy told the bat cautiously. Bat however just stared at her before screeching again, and swinging at her with his wing.

"Yikes!" Judy exclaimed, dodging the wing. Judy tried to swing the Taser at Zalen's wings, but the bat kept dodging Judy's Taser. The two mammals fought like this for quite a while. It was almost like they were sword fighting with no swords. Eventually, Judy saw an opening, and once Zalen swung at her, Judy thrust her Taser forward, and the zapper caught one of Zalen's finger on his wing.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAA! AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Zalen screeched as he got electrocuted. Luckily Judy only had the Taser zap the bat for a few seconds before pulling away. The bat fell on his back, his mouth open, and a shocked expression on his face. Judy collapsed onto her knees as she breathed deeply, realizing what she just did. Judy got scared that she had accidentally harmed the bat, but knew he was still alive. Judy was breathing heavily as the gravity of the situation sank in.

"Oh my gosh... Oh my gosh... Oh my GOSH!" Judy exclaimed before she screamed and started crying. She may have encountered Zalen before, but this time she had been in serious danger. Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted.

"Judy! Carrots!" a voice cried out, before Judy looked to her left. Firetrucks, police sirens and vehicles were in front of the building as Judy saw Nick and Chief Bogo ran towards Judy.

"Judy!" Nick cried out as he ran to Judy with open arms.

"Nick!" Judy exclaimed, hugging Nick. Judy smiled, happy that she was with a friend.

"Officer Hopps, what happened?" Chief Bogo asked, looking at Zalen. Judy and Nick separated from their hug.

"He attacked me Chief. I used a Taser on him, but I think he's still alive," Judy explained, showing the Chief the Taser her dad got her. Chief Bogo looked at the Taser, then back at Judy.

"Where did this Taser come from?" Chief Bogo asked curiously.

"My dad. He's a bit overprotective, but I thought it might help if I was in danger," Judy explained, hoping the Chief wasn't angry with her. The Chief looked at her seriously.

"Normally, devices like Tasers should be checked by me for permission, but considering the situation, I'll let this one slide. You're one lucky bunny Hopps. It's a good thing you had that Taser on you. That sure was quick thinking on your part, and good job. We'll take it from here. You head out with Wilde and get some rest," Chief Bogo said to her. However, before he went to get more officers to help with the bat, Chief Bogo stopped.

"And Officer Hopps, I'm sorry to hear about your apartment. Feel free to stay with Officer Wilde until you can get back up on your paws," Chief Bogo said to Judy.

"Thank you Chief. I really appreciate this," Judy replied back kindly. Chief Bogo smiled back at her and then walked away. Some officers came and gently took Zalen away so he could be transferred back to the hospital. Nick helped Judy gather her belongings, and head towards his police vehicle, but Judy stopped. She looked at the burning building that use to be her apartment.

'Gone... I can't believe this... it's gone' Judy thought to herself as she stared at the damaged building. After looking at the building, Nick helped guide Judy to his police vehicle and helped her into the car. The rest of the way to his house was quiet. Nobody said anything. Eventually, they got to Nick's home. He helped Judy get her belongings into the house and showed her to her room.

"Thank you Nick. Goodnight," Judy said to Nick before going to bed.

"Judy, ... I want you to know, if you need me at all, I'm here," Nick told her, gently putting his paw on her shoulder. Judy smiled, then walked into the guest bedroom, and went to sleep.


	11. Case Solved?

Chapter 11: Case Solved?

It was a bit of a rough night for Judy as she slept. At first, her dreams were peaceful, but eventually, she had nightmares. Judy tossed and turned as the bad dreams entered her mind, playing the events that had just occurred hours ago.

"Ahhhhhhhhh! I gotta get outa here!" Judy screamed into the night. Nick was in the kitchen getting a glass of water until he heard Judy scream. He immediately ran to the guest bedroom and went over to Judy as she tossed and turned in her bed.

"Carrots! Judy, wake up!" Nick said to his partner gently shaking her, but to no effect.

"Ahhhhhhhhh! Oh no! The sheet! Help! Help! Get me outa here!" Judy cried out as she continued to toss and turn. Nick was confused because Judy was nowhere close to being completely covered by the bed sheet where she would have been struggling under it. Then he remembered what had happened before and realized Judy was having a Nightmare.

"Judy! Judy wake up!" Nick said shaking Judy even more. Judy just continued to mumble and toss and turn in the bed.

"No! No! Stay away! Don't hurt me! STAY AWAY!" Judy screamed in horror as tears came out her eyes. Nick hated seeing his best friend like this.

"Judy, please! You have to wake up!" Nick said as he shook her even more.

"No! No please! Zalen! Leave me alone! Back off!" Judy screamed as she kept having her nightmare. Nick was now getting worried about Judy.

"No! No! Oh my gosh! What did I do?! Zalen! No! Oh my gosh! Noooooooo!" Judy screamed before bolting up from her sleep, her eyes in tears.

"Judy," Nick softly said, carefully placing his paw on her shoulder. Judy grabbed Nick in a hug as she burst out crying. Nick hugged back. He already knew why she was crying.

"It's okay, Carrots. It's okay," Nick told his friend as he hugged the sobbing bunny.

"Oh Nick! It was awful! I was so scared!" Judy said as she hugged the fox. Nick hugged Judy and soothed her as best he could.

"Judy, you've been through a lot. It's okay to feel scared and sad. I'm here, and you're safe. Everything will work out. I promise," Nick told Judy as they kept hugging. Eventually, Judy calmed down, and the two friends went back to sleep after the hug.

The next day, Judy was having Breakfast at Nick's home while she and Nick looked at the bat information. They were still trying to figure out what disease Zalen had. As they look through the information, something stood out to Judy as she looked at the symptoms. As she looked at the symptoms, she thought back to the way Zalen had behaved whenever she had encountered. The more she thought, she quickly realized certain symptoms seemed to match certain behaviors. She looked over every bat disease again, until she came across one that seemed to match the most: rabies. Everything made sense now, Zalen's behavior, the symptoms, what happened after the bite, the way he looked, and the information Mr. Membrane told them. She had found it.

"Nick! I found it! Zalen has rabies! His behavior, the symptoms, his story, everything makes sense," Judy told her partner and looked at the symptoms and thought about what Judy had said and realized she was right.

"Nice job, Judy. We better go tell Chief Bogo," Nick replied kindly. Suddenly, the phone rang. Nick ran up to the phone and answered it.

"Hello? This is Nick Wilde speaking," Nick said into the phone. It turns out the call was from Chief Bogo. Nick listened to the Chief as he told Nick what was going on at the hospital. It sounded bad.

"Thank goodness he's okay... What?! Oh no. ... Oh my Gosh! Can they cure him? ... Oh. Okay. ... Yes! We were going to come see you. ... Okay, thank you sir, see you soon!" Nick said into the phone before hanging up the call.

"What did Chief Bogo want?" Judy asked nervously. Nick sighed.

"We need to go to the hospital. Chief Bogo said we need to know what's going on with Zalen and the others," Nick replied before him and Judy gathered the evidence they had and drove to the hospital.

Once they arrived, the two mammals saw Chief Bogo in the waiting room. He stood up and walked over to them.

"Chief Bogo, we found out what Zalen has. It's rabies! Everything we've heard and seen with Zalen matches that disease," Judy told the Chief.

"Well done, Officer Hopps. You did a good job too, Officer Wilde. Unfortunately, I need to share with you two some recent news I found out," Chief Bogo told them before he sighed and continued.

"Your hypothesis about that raccoon biting Zalen was correct. However, he passed away from the disease last night, since rabies can affect any mammal. He must have had the disease for quite a while. Most likely he may have even had it for months or weeks. As for Zalen's victims, like Mrs. Otterton, they will be able to get a vaccine and get cured unless they show severe signs of symptoms. Now, for Zalen, it is unclear if he will be able to survive the disease or not, and until that fate is determined based on what information everyone has gathered, Zalen is remain in the hospital until further notice. That is what we found out," Chief Bogo explained to the fox and bunny.

Judy and Nick stood in shock at what Chief Bogo had said. They couldn't believe their ears. The case may have been closed, but the victims still had to recover.

"But how on earth did the raccoon get rabies?" Judy asked out of the blue. Chief Bogo guessed it was by another animal or by some other means. The raccoon didn't exactly cooperate with the questions given to him when asked, or rather didn't remember very well. Chief Bogo, Judy and Nick all went back to the ZPD and filled out the case, before filing it as "Closed".

"Well, looks like this is another case solved! Well done Wilde and Hopps! You two can go now. Hopefully I will have another case for you soon," Chief Bogo told the fox and bunny.

"You're welcome, Chief. Come on Judy, let's go get some food to celebrate!" Nick said kindly. The fox started walking towards the office door, but Judy was in place. She was frozen to the spot, realizing something.

"Chief, when did Zalen get bitten?" Judy asked nervously.

"About two to three months ago. Why?" Chief Bogo answered. This made Judy even more scared. She froze again, staring into space.

'Some diseases can be bad for other mammals, but not for bats... Rabies is the only disease that can kill a bat... There is currently no cure... Once symptoms show up it's too late. You have to get the medicine early on or it wouldn't help...' were the words echoing in July's head. Chief Bogo and Nick stared at Judy with concern as her eyes grew to the size of a small plate. She breathed heavily, her breathing getting faster and faster as the words echoed in her mind. Judy breathed faster and faster until she couldn't take the stress anymore. She ran out of the office, heading for the parking lot. Nick and the Chief followed her. Once Judy got outside, she ran with tears in her eyes. Finally, when she got past the parking lot, Judy fell to her knees and screamed as she sobbed.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Ahhhhh!" Judy screamed to the sky and burying her head into her paws. Nick was scared and Chief Bogo was stunned with disbelief. Neither one of them had ever heard Judy scream or cry like this. Nick knew Judy could get upset, but this was new. As Judy sobbed, both officers walked over to her.

"WE WERE TOO LATE! We were too late!" Judy screamed as she sobbed.

"Why! Why! Why! Why! WHHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYY!" Judy screamed, punching the ground and sobbing at the same time. Nick and the Chief knelt down to help Judy up, but the next words she screamed froze them to the spot.

"Zalen can't die! Zalen can't die! ZALEN CAN'T DIE!" Judy screamed as she cried. Nick and Chief Bogo were speechless. Still, they helped Judy up as she cried and they hugged her.


End file.
